


The Claws Beneath

by Laurenport_555



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werecreatures, F/M, M/M, Multi, Pack Bonding, Pack Dynamics, Pack Feels, Self-Esteem Issues, Shifters, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 14:56:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13273851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laurenport_555/pseuds/Laurenport_555
Summary: After years of Tony hiding and avoiding who he really is and what his instincts really tell him, Loki manages to screw ut all up in a single night.





	The Claws Beneath

**Author's Note:**

> Love feedback! New chapter by the end of the week.

The team was exhausted. Clint was doing everything in his power not to fall asleep at the controls of the jet while the team was asleep in the back with Steve keeping a watchful eye.

 

They fought a battle in South Carolina, some new species of aliens attacked a small town that was producing a large amount of radiation from underneath the ground sparking multiple species interests. Once the majority were dead and the others retreated, they let Fury takeover, with Tony keeping a watchful eye on their files. As the jet landed on the Helipad on the Avengers Tower at 1 o’clock in the morning, everyone jolted up.

 

They grudgingly walked off the jet into the tower, grumbling about the temperature outside. They were covered in bruises and cuts. Tony had it the worse. He had third-degree burns on his right arm that were wrapped up by the medical team. One of the species of aliens could spit acid that melted through his suit, he had his suit already shipped to the tower so he could take samples when he got back. Everyone shifted as soon as they got into the tower, except for Bruce and Tony. Bruce used to be a tiger, but now he shifted into the hulk. Thor is a bear, Natasha is a panther, Clint is a hawk, Bucky and Steve are wolves and Tony, they didn’t know.

 

They had been living together for three years and they had never seen Tony shift. He had deleted that information from his file as soon as Jarvis hacked SHIELD for the first time and “persuaded” Fury not to tell them. Shifting was an incredibly personal thing to share with someone else. Shifters only shared their forms with family and their pack. Steve was a dominant alpha, Bucky was a less dominant alpha. Natasha and Thor were strong Beta’s; Clint and Bruce were gammas. As for Tony, they weren’t sure. He hid his scent using scent suppressors. Whenever the team questioned him about it, he averted the topic very smoothly, as if he has been doing it his entire life.

 

Shifting increases healing rate. Tony had made a pack floor with toys for everyone and a ginormous bed meant for them all. They used it often after missions and whenever they needed comfort. Shifters are naturally pack animals, no matter their form. They seek out comfort in pack mates, and for Steve, it’s instinctual to make sure his entire pack is safe.

 

Bruce partakes in the majority of pack nights when they sleep in the bed, he chooses to stay in human form in fear of accidentally hurting someone. Tony doesn’t participate in any of their normal pack events, which frustrates the entire pack. When they were shifted in the living room, Steve quickly sniffed over his entire team, making sure they were alright.

 

Bruce sat down on the couch, and everyone quickly jumped up and joined him. Thor laid down on the carpet by their feet and Clint nestled into his arms. Steve, Bucky, and Natasha laid down on the couch, constantly in contact with each other. They left a spot on the couch for Tony, seeing him standing awkwardly a few feet away. He pretended to ignore the open spot.

 

“Oh, um, sorry guys. I’m going to get to the lab and take a look at the samples of the acid stuff they were spitting.” He turned towards the elevator but froze when he heard Steve growl. He looked over his shoulder and noticed his hackles were up. He tried a different excuse.

 

“You know what my arm kind of hurts, I’m going to get some painkillers and go to sleep.” Steve stopped growling but watched Tony as he got into the elevator and headed up to his room. Tony let out a sigh and put his head down against the elevator doors as he rode three floors up, not to his floor, but the pack floor.

 

He got off and went to their bed. He laid down, with the intention of just smelling the scent of his pack mates. He must have been more tired than he thought before he knew it, his eyes were closed and he was asleep. He woke up and for a moment, forgot where he was.

 

The only thing he knew was he was comfortable and he didn’t want to move. He snuggled deeper into the warmth in front of him. The warmth moved and-wait what? Tony’s eyes shot open and he breathed in the comforting scent of Steve before he stood up, waking every else in the process. He stood up and looked around. At some point, the entire team had come up to the pack floor and curled around him. He got out of the bed as quickly as possible, almost in a panic. He stepped on Natasha’s tail and she let out a hiss of pain. He took another step and stepped on Bucky’s tail.

 

Bucky couldn’t help but let out a squeal of pain. He tripped as he stepped off the bed and turned around to them, his breathing fast, almost on the edge of hyperventilating. Steve got up to check on his pack mate. Tony slid back on his palms but stopped when his arm gave out and his back hit the floor.

 

The entire team was up and advancing towards him in hopes to get his breathing to calm down. Steve sat down and the rest of the team followed. Tony had recovered and was standing with his back against the wall. He had his good hand against his arc reactor and his bad arm was dripping blood, it must have opened up when he fell.

 

Every instinct in Steve’s body was screaming at him to take care of his pack-mate, but his brain knew it was better to give Tony his space. Tony didn’t seem to notice the blood, his eyes searching for a way out. He saw the elevator on the other side and sprinted towards it, taking a wide berth around the team. Jarvis must have known what he was thinking because he opened it and closed it as soon as he stepped in. The last image Steve got was his pack mate panicked and bleeding. Jarvis took Tony up to his room. The sun was just barely peeking through Tony’s window.

 

Tony passed out on his bed. When he woke up, the sun was high up in the sky and his arm had been rewrapped.

 

“Jarvis, what time is it?” “It is currently 11:54 am Sir, you have been asleep in your bed for 6 hours, at hour 3, Mrs. Romanoff came in and re-bandaged your burns. The team is currently in the kitchen eating Chinese take-out.”

 

Tony did not want to go out and face the team. He knew everyone would want answers and he did not want to give them. He sat in his room and waited for several minutes before his stomach grumbled and he gave in. He slowly headed into the kitchen and all eyes turned to him.

 

“Good Morning, Tony” Steve said, trying to break the awkwardness.

 

“Morning guys,” Tony said without making eye contact.

 

“Thanks for taking care of my arm Nat.” 

 

"Mhm,” she said. 

 

"So Tony, are you going to tell us what happened last this morning or are you going to make us look like assholes and ask?” Clint said. Natasha smacked his head.

 

“Well um I-it-it was just unexpected, you know?”

 

“No actually I don’t know, why were you in the pack room anyway? You never go in there despite how many times we ask you to.” Clint said and this time Natasha verbally told him to shut up.

 

“Actually, I go in there all the time when you guys aren’t there.”

 

“Why?” This time Steve asked and no one said anything about it.

 

“Because sometimes when I can’t sleep, I go in there and it helps.” “Why did you freak out last night then?” Steve said again, using his alpha tone.

 

“Sometimes when I am comfortable I'll shift and I didn’t want that to happen.”

 

“Why didn’t you want that to happen Tony? And you better give me a clear answer this time.” Steve said, using his don’t-you-even-think-about-lying voice.

 

“Because I haven’t shifted in two years and I don’t like to.”

 

“God damn it Tony. Why don’t you?” Bruce, the usually calm and collected one of the group, said.

 

“Because I’m weak. I can’t defend myself. So I stay in human form, protected by my suit. When I was kidnapped in Afghanistan, they forced me to shift and when Stane ripped my reactor out of my chest, I shifted and it seems I only shift when Im at my weakest and I never want to feel like that again. Now can I have some mother fucking breakfast, please.”

 

Bruce slid a plate of pancakes and bacon to Tony.

 

The team watched intently as he ate, wondering how he could be harboring so much doubt, despite being so confident on the outside.

 

“That’s bullshit you know. You are one of the strongest people we know Tony.” Natasha said.

 

“No matter what form you have, we will think no less of you.”

 

“Your form is a reflection of your will,” Tony said. Bruce immediately disagreed.

 

“Actually, it’s not. That theory was disapproved in the 70’s. I have actually been conducting several experiments about how a persons form is determined. I have discovered it has something to do with the amount of time spent in their form.”

 

Tony stood dumbfounded.

 

”But, Howard said-”

 

“You’re father Howard?” Steve questioned.

 

“Yeah, he told me that’s not true.”

 

“Well he was wrong Tony,” Bruce said.

 

“Thanks for the breakfast Bruce,” Tony said and walked back into his room. When he was alone Jarvis spoke.

 

“It Is true, that theory was disapproved in 1976. I would have told you sooner if I had known what you believed.”

 

Tony thought for a few seconds, made sure his door was locked, told Jarvis not to let anyone in, and shifted.

 

It was painful, after not shifting for two years the painful re arranging of bones hurt, but it was bearable.

 

He approached the mirror that was about a foot and a half above the ground and put his front paws on the bottom so he could take a look at his tiny, furry, ocelot head.

 

His legs were shaky and he wobbled a bit, getting used to having four legs instead of two. He practiced walking around his room and jumping onto his furniture and honestly having a good time.

 

His instincts were screaming at him to seek out his pack mates and to be touched and held and cared for like all of his other team mates have been.

 

His was starting to lose control of his thoughts and thats when he knew it was time to shift back. A week went by without anyone saying anything. They pretend nothing happened and went on with their normal lives. Tony shifted for an hour everyday around 12am, making sure he was alone and everyone else was asleep.

 

Jarvis was the only one who knew what he was doing.

 

Tony had actually gone into Jarvis’s code and assured he wouldn’t be able to tell anyone. Luckily his arm was completely healed, shifting really worked magic Loki had to fuck it all up. There was a small battle in Los Angelos, the Chitauri were acting up again. This was bigger than normal and Fury called them to help.

 

Clint was the first one to spot Loki standing in the middle of an abandoned street. The jet landed about 50 yards away from him. The Chitauri were hanging onto the building around him. Steve slightly in front of them flanked by the rest of the team.

 

“Loki! Brother, what is your purpose here?” Thor shouted.

 

“I have come to destroy you and dominate this world!” Loki said.

 

“No offense, but haven’t you already tried that!” Clint said sarcastically.

 

“This time you will have to do it without one of your own!” Loki screamed.

 

The team immediately dropped into a fighting stance. But it wouldn’t help. Loki cast a spell that knocked them all out. Thor woke up in a few minutes with his hammer crackling with electricity ready to strike. Loki and the Chitauri were gone. Thor felt no different. He looked at his team and they looked the same as well. They all started to get up slowly, checking over themselves to make sure nothing was wrong. Everyone seemed fine, despite headaches. Tony took the helmet off his suit and checked over his team they were fine.

 

He felt fine too.

 

The team spent several hours cleaning up debris from the Chitauri and searching for Loki. Thor said there was no trace of his magic so they went back to the tower.

 

The team went into the pack room, opting to stay in human form.

 

Tony had surprisingly joined them, but no one asked why, afraid to spook him.

 

They slept for several hours until Jarvis woke them up saying Fury was at the tower and wanted to speak with them.

 

Everyone got up, well everyone tried to get up. As Steve tried to get up, there was a weight on his chest that was dragging him down.

 

The warmth spread from his chest all the way down his right side. He looked down and saw a brown mop of hair splayed against his chest. That was weird. Tony didn’t normally cuddle with him, but he wasn’t totally complaining. He gently shook Tony.

 

“Tony, um, Tony, Fury is here and he wants to talk with us,” Steve said.

 

Tony didn’t respond but tightened his grip. Steve tried to gently remove his arm but stopped when Tony growled at him.

 

The team immediately looked over in curiosity, wondering who was making that sound. When they saw it was Tony, they backed away.

 

The growl was a warning, telling everyone to stay away from his territory.

 

Tony had never made that sound before. Tony moved so he was more on top of Steve, almost on top of him.

 

“Tony. You have to get up now. Fury wants to see us.”

 

Tony growled at the mention of Fury. Steve gave a look of desperation to Bucky, although he just shrugged back.

 

Thanks for the help. Steve quickly stood up and Tony fell off of him. He looked up to Steve and scrambled up.

 

He put his nose underneath Steve’s ear and his hand on the back of Steve’s neck. A very submissive gesture. Steve put his hand on the back of Tony’s head and weaved his fingers into his hair. He gave Natasha a glance, silently telling her to go deal with Fury, the pack came first. Steve gently removed Tony from him.

 

Tony gave a small whine, and looked up at him in confusion.

 

“Jarvis what is going on?” Steve asked.

 

“I do not know, Captain.” He answered

 

“This has to do with Loki’s spell?” Clint asked.

 

“I am not aware of magic that has these affects, but I will go back to Asgard and speak to the All Father.”

 

They all shuffled out of the pack room and down to the kitchen. Thor went to the roof and Heimdall opened the portal.

 

Tony constantly had his hand touching Steve, wether it was gripped in his hand or tugging onto the back of his shirt, Tony didn’t seem to mind as long as he kept in contact with Steve. Bruce made omelette’s while everyone sat around the kitchen island. Tony was sitting as close to Steve as their chair’s would allow.

 

Natasha came back a few minutes later.

 

“He said he’s coming back in two days.”

 

Bruce put an omelette in front of Tony first, but he didn’t eat.

 

They knew something was definitely off because Tony loved Bruce’s omelette’s. Tony looked up at Steve.

 

“Tony. Eat.” Steve ordered. Tony dug into his food as if he hadn’t eaten in days. When they were all finished, Bruce went to the lab to do research in case Thor couldn’t get any information. Steve went to go workout in the gym, Tony followed with a hand gripping the back of his shirt.

 

“Tony, sit on the bench.” It scared Steve how much power he had over Tony. He spent a few hours with a punching bag and weights while Tony just watched. Jarvis told him that Thor was back and requested the whole team’s presence. Tony followed Steve onto the elevator.

 

“So what’s up Thor?” Clint asked.

 

“It appears Loki has used dark magic to amplify the instincts of, certain groups of people,” Thor explained but hesitated on certain groups of people.

 

“Thor, what do you mean by certain groups of people?” Steve asked.

 

“Omegas. The spell targets omegas, it makes them seek out the security of the one they consider their alpha.” Everyone went silent. No one knew Tony was an omega.

 

They stood in silence for a few minutes until Natasha asked how they fix it.

 

“I am not sure. I will not rest until I have found a way to help the Man of Iron. I shall head back to Asgard and figure it out.”

 

“Thank you Thor,” Steve said.

 

“Wait, before you leave, movie night and Chinese food?” Clint said.

 

“I’m down,” Natasha said and moved to the phone to order the food.

 

They headed to the pack room and put on Pirates of The Caribbean, a movie Steve has never seen.

 

Everyone wished Tony would joke about Steve, but it never came.

 

Tony was curled up to Steve and Steve had an arm around him.

 

He knew this would never have happened if Loki hadn’t cast that spell, but he didn’t mind.

 

He would take the moments he got. The movie finished and they headed off to bed. No on thought it was weird when Steve and Tony went into the same room. They got ready for bed and curled up in Steve’s bed. Tony spent a few moments rolling around in Steve’s bed, making it as his territory, Steve thought it was incredibly hot, but didn’t dare voice his opinions.

 

They went to sleep, with Tony practically on top of Steve.

 

Steve actually got one of them best nights of sleep he’s had in a while.

 

They spent most of their days like this, Tony following Steve around all the time. Fury came by and they explained the situation to him, with Tony growling at him the entire time. The only thing that seemed to call him down was Steve’s hand on the back of his neck. They hadn’t heard much from Thor, .

 

A few days later, Steve and the team were in the pack room, with the intention of spending the night together in their animal form. Without Thor, it felt as if there was something missing from their pack. The rest of the pack had shifted, except Bruce, and were getting comfortable on the bed.

 

Tony was next to Steve, watching his pack. Steve shifted and laid on the bed, making sure to leave a spot for Tony. Tony stopped and cocked his head to the side in a questioning glance. He took a glance at his pack and his alpha if they were all in animal form, shouldn’t he?

 

He thought about it, and decided that if he shifted, Steve could protect him better if there was a problem so why not? Steve gave a small whine of confusion, and everyone looked back at him. He gave Steve a small smile and shifted, taking slightly longer than anyone else. He dropped to four feet instead of two.

 

By the time he was walking around, everyone had stood up and formed a semi-circle around him, wanting a clear view of his form. He was just a kitten. He was tiny. He was adorable. He shook to settle his fur. Natasha came up to him and sniffed behind his ear. He freaked out at first scurrying to Steve, not expecting it.

 

When he sniffed her, she smelled like pack. Actually, they all smelled like pack. When he realized no one was going to hurt him and Steve was watching over him, he started to have some fun. He was rolling, running and goofing off with his pack mates.

 

They played together for about half an hour before he started to get tired. He saw his alpha laying sideways in the bed and went to join him. He got comfortable and made himself a bed on Steve’s stomach. Steve gave a rumble of approval. They all curled around on the bed, with Bruce in his human form on the end, sleeping peacefully for the entire night. 


End file.
